Bulgaria’s corn production shows signs of recovery

Sofia: If current favorable weather holds, Bulgaria’s corn crop for marketing year 2025-26 is expected to recover significantly from last season’s precipitous decline due to extreme drought and heat, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

In its June 9 report, the FAS noted farmers have been cautious in planting corn due to weather-related losses the past three years and, while planting is not yet complete, private industry sources estimated that 400,000 to 450,000 hectares would be sown for 2025-26 compared to 503,000 hectares for 2024-25.

While weather risks remain heading into July and August, the FAS said, corn yields may recover from an exceptionally low 3.25 tonnes/hectare in 2024 to an estimated 4.4 to 5 t/ha with a projected production range of 1.8 million to 2.1 million tonnes for 2025-26, up from 1.6 million tonnes in 2024-25.

Due to the lower availability and problematic quality, exports have been slow and unusually low, the FAS said. In 2024-25 as of the end of May, corn exports as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture were at 185,000 tonnes, with Greece the top destination, compared to 548,000 tonnes at the same time in 2023-24.

Conversely, 2024-25 imports until the end of May increased to 329,000 tonnes, compared to only 10,000 tonnes a year ago.

“Despite declining corn use earlier in the season due to the small crop and uncertain quality, growing imports and improving demand led to a recovery in corn use,” the FAS said. “The main users of corn for food/industrial purposes were starch and ethanol manufacturers who not only procured most of the available local quality corn but also raised the use of imported corn.”

Spring weather generally was satisfactory for the winter crops as well, resulting in a positive outlook for wheat and barley yields. Overall, moderate temperatures and sufficient rainfall provided favorable conditions for winter crops, the FAS said.

With those favorable conditions, the FAS projected wheat production at 7 million tonnes and barley at 1 million tonnes for 2025-26, levels in line with the previous bumper season. If growing conditions remain positive, the FAS said the potential remains for further increases in average yield and production for both crops.

“Larger area and favorable weather are expected to support good yields; however, fertilizers and plant protection input applications have been mixed among producers due to their growing prices,” the FAS said.

In 2024-25 as of the end of May, wheat exports reached 5.63 million tonnes, of which 4.5 million tonnes were exported to non-EU countries. Major export markets have been Algeria, Egypt, Spain, Thailand and Greece.

Export demand for barley in 2024-25 has been strong, and exports soared to over 740,000 tonnes as of the end of May, with 360,000 tonnes exported to non-EU countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.